Settle Walk for Creation - Castleberg - Evening 1 Sept

1st September is a Day to Pray for Creation - and two walks were held in Settle. (See first walk in the afternoon)
For the second one we assembled at 5.45pm at Holy Ascension church, ready for the walk to Castleberg. There were four of us but the fourth person never arrived as they went to a different meeting point. Here you see two of us - plus a Flower-pot Shepherd

Shepherd (Settle Flower Pot Festival), Judith and Revd Hilary Young.
Photographed by the third member: Revd Stephen Dawson

We spent ten minutes here just sitting and looking around. 

We thought of biodiversity in the churchyard

our efforts to help it-- the bird feeder sponsored by Althea;
the efforts to have an area of longer grassland
the debate about whether to use weed killer on some of the grave areas;
the time factor involved in working out greener solutions - which often take a lot of extra time

we admired the wilder area on the adjacent railway banking

 We thought about the climate - 
The wet summer we are having is making it harder for some farmers to harvest their grass. Our climate may not be hot this year but Stephen's brother who had just been to the Mediterranean reported enduring 32 degree temperatures, and that the 34 degree temperatures in Spain were harming the crops.

With our lush cool damp summer it is hard for people in England to understand that this year 2015 world wide is the hottest year ever recorded: - quote from 29 Aug 2015 Independent:

It is rare for climate experts to make such a bold prediction so soon in the year, but they believe that a surge in ocean temperatures in particular now makes it almost inevitable that 2015 will turn out to be the hottest year globally since instruments were first used to gather readings more than 130 years ago.

We thought about waste and recycling.

We climbed up to the flagpole at Castleberg Crag,, where we met two young cyclists.

What a view

Just left of the centre on the horizon is a mast - Waddington Fell - see below for telephoto picture of the same

Waddington Fell/Newton Fell Mast 15 miles away

Fruit of Wild Arum (or Lords and Ladies)

Looking over Settle 

We walked down the gentle route. I was pleased to find Woodruff

This post has a special alga on it called Prasiola crispa.
We look at it using our handlenses

How many people have been on a walk on 1 September and enjoyed looking at Prasiola?
It reminded me of the first time  found some on a mosses course at Preston Montford in 2013

This is what it looks like under a handlens

Prasiola crispa: This is what it looks like under a microscope

Here it is under higher power.

And so we came down to earth in Settle


Fourth walk - at Bentham on 10 Oct 2015

Settle Walk for Creation - afternoon 1 Sept 2015 - via Settle Hydro

Two walks for Creation were held on 1 Sept 2015 organised by Churches Together in Settle and District.
Here are pictures of the afternoon walk. We met at Holy Ascension Church. (You can see the evening walk here)

Althea, Judith, Derek and a Shepherd (from Settle Flower Pot Festival) assemble, and discuss facets of what we see  -.

 Judith said to Althea "Pick a number between 1 and 245. The number of paragraphs in Laudato Si... "   (The Pope's encyclical about Care of the environment). Althea Picked no 8. so we read that. It was about Patriach Bartholomew (Orthodox Church Leader). who said that.. harming nature is a sin.

Next month Kathleen Kinder of Settle will be giving the first of her monthly talks on the history of the tree Abrahamic Faiths.  Kathleen is a fan of a theologian, Margaret Barker, and Margaret Barker has hlped lead some  conferences organised by Patriarch Bartholomew  about Care of the Environment..
so there is a sort of link with Settle.

The big thunderstorm at 1.45pm may have put some people off from coming. 

As we set off we notice the wildlife area.
Judith recently added some yellow rattle seeds-
perhaps the long grass should be cut again?

We pause in the shelter of the lychgate to let a shower pass

As we pass the back of St John's Methodist Church, Althea says "Take a photo, it won't be there next year"

I enjoy looking at the Lilies and Evening Primrose in someone's garden

We arrive at Settle Hydro - It is not running today because the water level is too low
(in spite of the thunder shower at 1.45pm.
Steve Amphlett has sent us a message saying:

"The big news from Settle Hydro is that we have recently invested £26,000 in a new Variable Speed Control System which promises to increase our generation by at least 50%. The money we receive for the additional power will transform the finances for the company from a position where we are just breaking even to one where we will be making a reasonable surplus that can be used to fund initiatives in the Settle Area. "

You can see a video I took of the Archimedes Screw being installed here, six years ago

Althea enjoys looking at the view at the Settle Hydro

We continue across the bridge over the Ribble into Giggleswick

and beside the Ribble

At Queens Rock/Kings Mill we look up to the hills over Settle.
You can see the flagpole on the right. That is where the walk is tonight.

The sun comes out.

See the flagpole up on the right. that is where we would be walking to in the evening.

Crossing the Ribble back into Settle

Looking down at the river

Althea and I have tea at Lay of the Land Garden Centre


The next blog post will be about the evening walk.
 (You can see the evening walk here)